


gentle (adj.)

by eleutheria_has_won



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Why is Susan called "the Gentle"?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 10:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20007025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleutheria_has_won/pseuds/eleutheria_has_won
Summary: 1.having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character.2.(of a person) noble or having the qualities attributed to noble birth; courteous and chivalrous.3.moderate in action, effect, or degree; not harsh or severe.





	gentle (adj.)

**Author's Note:**

> what up i'm posting my first fic in like 3 years and it's a chronicles of narnia character study

Susan Pevensie was gentle; Queen Susan of Narnia, Queen Susan of the Radiant Southern Sun, Queen Susan of the Horn, was Gentle.

The first definiton of gentle, if one looks in a dictionary, is "having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character." This is what most people think of when they hear another person described as being gentle; it was the definition that most of the diplomats who came to Cair Paravel operated under. Susan did not like to shout or be shouted at, and she prefered milder pursuits (not necessarily easy or simpler ones, merely quiet), and she had a need to see to the people around her that was half a busybody's impulse and half a born caretaker's, and certainly she did like to be liked and the easiest way to accomplish that was to be kind to others, so in those senses: yes, she was gentle. But this was not why Aslan named her the Gentle.

The second definiton of gentle, if one looks in a dictionary, is "(of a person) noble or having the qualities attributed to noble birth; courteous and chivalrous." The dictionary describes it as being an archaic use of the word, and so not many people who are not scholars of romantic poetry will have seen the word used this way. Susan prized good manners and good breeding; she liked knowing exactly what to say in every situation, and once she outgrew the most awkward of her teenage years she carried her dignity around her more nobly than any crown. Of the four Pevensie siblings, it was her who greeted foreign ambassadors and trade delegations with a polite smile and effortless tact and a queenly bearing that saw Narnia come out the better on several very lucrative treaties. So, in that sense: yes, she was gentle. But this was not why Aslan named her the Gentle.

The third definition of gentle, if one looks in a dictionary, is "moderate in action, effect, or degree; not harsh or severe." This is the version of gentle used to describe breezes, or early spring sunlight, or the slopes of rolling hills covered in wildflowers.

Or, perhaps, a skillful surgeon's hand when they are making the first incision.

Susan, more than any of her siblings, had a watchful care in her. She almost never took a strong action in a situation when there was an option to take a more measured one -- rocking the boat made her uneasy, made her feel out of control. At times, it was a burden; it meant that she always felt a little removed from any situation, while some part of her mind stood back and observed and watched and calculated and moderated her actions, and sometimes it meant that she failed to take action strongly enough in situations where doing so had consequences. But at many more times, it was a blessing; it guided her eye when she released the arrow from her bow, and her hand when she passed decrees or signed laws into effect, and it let her conduct her court with a skill far beyond her years. A few quiet words could change the course of a story more painlessly than a stern tirade, after all, and Susan was a master of the quiet word, the gentle hand.

Strictly speaking, it might have been more accurate to the intent of Susan's title if Aslan had declared her "Queen Susan the Subtle."

But then, of course, that would not have been a very gentle way of putting things -- nor a very subtle one.

This is Susan: logical, watchful. Reluctant to act when she feels uncertain, but skillful in action when she feels sure. She's a woman who likes to be in control, in a way that means she prefers situations that are quiet and under control, but also in a way that means she is both caregiver and caretaker: a mother figure and an organizer and a well-meaning busybody all in one. She's an archer, not a melee fighter -- she likes the cool distance of it. A sniper, not a brawler. She's a woman who likes to be liked, who enjoys having the admiration of people around her. Combined with her desire to feel in control of her circumstance, this means that she is a woman whose manners are persistently flawless, who is unfailingly thoughtful, whose actions overflow with little kindnesses. She is a woman who likes to be beautiful, because she likes the way it brings her admiration and certainty. She's a woman who likes to be powerful without being overt, dignified without being domineering.

Anything done without moderation can become a flaw, and so Susan has the possibility of being smothering or cruel in her control (or because of a lack of it). She can be apathetic in her inaction, or being unwise in her desire to be liked. But Susan is the master of moderation, and so, most days, she works her fingers to the bone to create a home or a court or an atmosphere that is beautiful and gentle and quietly at ease at all times, and it's her guidance -- her control -- that makes it so. She recoils from being hasty or rash or acting without thought, and therefore she only rarely hurts someone through her actions. (Though the same may not be true of her inaction.) She treats others with politeness and courtesy and consideration (most days), makes them comfortable and makes sure they're well cared for, and whether or not it's a cultivated impulse on her part the recipients come away better for it. The days where uncertainty makes her snappish or unpleasant do not erase the days where she laughs at a shy courtier's joke and her watchful eyes triumphantly mark the way the courtier's spine straightens and their tension eases. She's both of these things.

She's human.

She's Susan.


End file.
